Understanding And Accepting It All
by Trivher
Summary: A little bit of that a little bit this with a touch sex drugs and rock roll mixed in. Just kidding. Or am I???
1. Default Chapter

The ownership of these characters and show don't belong to me.  I'm borrowing, twisting around, playing with them for just a little while.  I can't promise when I'm done they'll ever be the same again.

A/N this is one of those in the future type fics.  No we're not talking hoover crafts and flying people type of future.  Just a few years.

"So Ren only hundred days left!"

            "God can you believe that in two thousand and hundred hours we'll be free!"

            "An hour count down isn't that a bit much?"

            "Not for Ruby not for me."  With that said the bell toned announcing the start of the school day at John Polk High School.  Having two very different schedules for the first time since sixth grade Rudy and Ren exchanged hugs of goodbye and scampered off in opposites directions in the overly populated hall way.  Ren in a way was excited there was just hundred days left but in another sick twisted way sad.  Being the smart straight A student was really all she had.  Sure now she could spit out information faster and better than practically all her teacher's.  College was the big leagues where Ren realized she no longer be the over all-smartest one.  That scared her.

            Ruby was having the same hidden mixture of feelings on the countdown as well, but for opposite reasons.  Here in high school she was the gossip queen no secret or rumor was safe from her.  The school population respected her and would congratulate her on the detective work.  Ruby enjoyed the attention and knowing she excelled in at least one thing extremely well.  With graduating on the brink that could float away.

            "Hey Louis isn't this your classroom?"

            "No I have math first hour man."

            "Um dude this is the math classroom!  See that board?  See what's on it?  Algebra equations!"

            "Oh!"  Louis said quickly turning into a blob of jelly with his insane loud laughter, causing everyone to stare at him rudely.  Not wanting to deal with the situation even though as a best friend he should Twitty sighed and walked away.  Leaving Louis now sitting on the dirty floor his laughter slightly trickling down.

            Not wanting to hear any comments like, "What in the hell is wrong with your friend?"  Or even worst in Twitty's mind was, "Wow he's so cool it must be great having a friend like that!"  It wasn't great or even remotely funny. Half the time he didn't even know why they were still friends.  The extreme closeness had ended the middle of freshmen year.  Twitty knew the reason why and he was sure Louis did as well.  Neither was ready to give up that chapter of their lives.

            "So Twitty is he…."  Twany asked Twitty as he approached her locker.

            "Totally out of there."

            "It's only 7:40!"

            "I know we really should do something about this.  Don't you think Twany?"

            "No.  Maybe you can but not me.  I'm serious there is no more Louis and I in any shape or form.  And never will be again.  If you want to follow him around like a damn puppy be my guest, just don't involve me."  Twany ended her speech with a slam of the locker and walked away.  She couldn't believe Twitty half the time and to think he used be the pretty sensible one.  Why couldn't he see that Louis was no longer worth his trouble?  Any of theirs?

            Louis sat on the ground next to a cheeto staring his best friends on the other end of the hallway. His ex-best friends he just wasn't used to that term.  Everything was his fault he knew that, knew how to began and how to stop it.  But he wasn't ready for that.  He liked the out of control ness feeling and surprises it brought.  If they didn't want to experience it that was their loss.  After a moment Louis carefully and with a bit of wobble stand up and enters the classroom, just as the final bell rang.


	2. 2

A/N be on the look out for the So Weird references. 

            "Alex and Shannon.  Jerry and Renee.  Who else is left?"  Mrs. Rudager asked the students as she stood at the white dry erase board pairing her class into groups.  She was one of those jokes of a teacher who never remember anything, where she left her glasses, student names, or even half the stuff she taught.  Ren looked around the room at her fellow students knowing all of them who were still unpaired.  No one was saying anything causing Mrs. Rudager to get the confused and sad look in her eyes that always made a sucker out of Ren.

            "I still don't have a partner Mrs. Rudager."  She announces while glaring out at everyone else.  With that rest sheepily raised their hands as well.  Looking carefully at each student the teacher starts the extremely random pairing up progress again.

            "Bart and Zoey.  Carey and Fiona.  Alan and Ren."  At the sound of her name Ren groaned tossing her gel pen down in disgust.  She would work with anyone but him.  Even Scott Walimiar the exchange student who had clearly never learned how the shower works.  Mrs. Rudager was still teaming her students up some even now were paired up twice.  Ren wanted to say something; she could easily trick her into thinking that her name was never read.  But that would be the cowards way out, and Ren Stevens was not afraid of a challenge.  Finally as if a choir of angels were singing the bell toned Ren flew out of there as if she were on fire.

            "Hey Louis you feeling any better?"  Twitty asked as they stood next to each other in the lunch line.  He didn't know why he asked that just whip your hands clean of him like Twany did.  But it just wasn't that easy.  He still had some hope no matter how insignificant for his friend.

            "What? Nah man I wasn't sick."  Louis mumbles the syllables running together.

            "You really have to stop you know."

            "Fuck you."  Tossing his money at Irene Bell the lunch lady working the register that day Louis storms off leaving Twitty turning red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.  Apologizing for his friend's behavior he pays for his food as well and walks off in the other direction then Louis had.

            Why do you do crap like that!?  Why!!  Louis thought to himself whiling pounding the table with clinched fist.  The two people who had been sitting on the other hand stood up and left with a disgust look.  The old Louis would of called them back saying he was just playing around.  Now he really didn't care anymore.  Life used to be so perfect before Peter entered his life January of freshmen year.  He had been told for years and even believed it.  Drugs are bad.  Very bad, don't touch.  The don't touch part flew right over Louis's head.  Now over two years later things hadn't changed.  Actually everything had changed.

            "Can you believe this Nelson?!"

            "I don't see what's the bad about it Ren."  Nelson answered while he carefully picked the peas out his lunch to avoid an allergic reaction.

            "Not that bad!?  NOT THAT BAD!!?  Were you even listening to me?  Alan Twitty."  She screams across the lunch table all other conversations seizing around them to see what was going on.

            "Calm down.  Twitty is a good worker and he's pretty smart."

            "But he's friends with Louis.  Anyone friends with that thing can not be intelligent or even a good worker."

            "Ren you really don't pay attention to your brother at all anymore do you?"

            "Why would I want to?"

            "If you did you know that Twitty and Louis aren't really friends anymore.  Well if you'd please excuse me I must head off to the library to put a few final touches on my English report."  Waving good-bye Nelson leaves the cafeteria.  Ren knew that Louis and Twitty and Twany weren't all buddy-buddy anymore.  But she was so used to the three-musketeer camaraderie they had all those years, she easily forgot.  Plus she didn't want to think about the reasons why their friendships ended.  It was too painful for her to think of her brother in that way.  Shoving the rest on lunch in her mouth Ren rises from the table to meet up with Nelson. 


	3. 3

Ren flipped down her bed staring up at the ceiling.  Louis was the only other one home but not like anyone would know with his door locked shut.  The chances of him coming down to dinner later were pretty slim.  Ren ha always wanted to stop his childish immaturity and starting acting like an adult.  This was not what she in mind.  She sometimes blamed herself and Donnie as well.  If they had paid more attention to their little brother, guided him more carefully, etc.  Well it wasn't like they didn't try the hardest they could, but their only humans.  No matter how many times she told herself that the pain didn't subside in Ren's heart.

            "Ello?"  Ruby answered the phone on its fourth ring.

            "Hey it's me.  Are you busy?"

            "Not at all Ren, what's going on?"  She heard a deep and troubled sigh knowing what that meant Ruby got comfortable on her bed.

             "I'm just thinking about Donnie and everything again."

            "Aw sweetheart."

            "I just don't understand why did this have to happen!?  Its not fair."  Ruby could picture the tears in her best friends eyes, they'd go right along with the ones she had.  It wasn't fair.  Everyone knew that it didn't make it any easier.

            "I know.  I know."  It's all she could say, all she could think of.

            "I mean if he was still around Louis would be ok right now.  Why did he have to die Ruby!?"  The tears started flow freely down now. Even after almost four years the shock and pain of her oldest brother's death was too much for Ren to bare.  Right after the car accident was about the about the same time Louis started using.  His death also lead to their parents separation and later divorce.  Ren had thought situation such as that brought couples closer and not tear them apart.  Everything had changed so rapidly for Ren she didn't know where to turn or what to do half the time.  Thank God she had people like Ruby and Nelson.

            "Do you want me to come over and just hang out for awhile?"  Ruby asked after waiting for a moment while the tears slowed down a bit.  

            "That would be great, thanks."  Without bothering to say good bye both of them hung up their phones.  

            Louis sat at his desk staring down the small white pills.  His fingers traced the edges of each one, his mind racing.  He had planned to take a few right then, but now he wasn't so sure.  Bits and pieces of his sister's telephone conversation had managed to leak into his room and into his head.  He wanted to rush in and play the role of caring brother and friend, tell her everything would be ok.  They still had each other and together they could recover.  Louis couldn't convince himself to walk down that hallway.  Picking up one pill, slipping it into his mouth and he begins to cry.

            Noticing the laces of his sneakers dragging in the grass Twitty leans down to tie them.  He was standing in the Steven's front lawn a place he not found himself in months.  He didn't want to be there, too many memories.  Of things that used to be, things that could have been, and people that no longer were.  Still he had to be there because of the school assignment assigned to him during fourth hour.  It won't be that bad.  It won't be that bad.  Twitty chants in his head as he presses the doorbell.

            Ren was caught off guard she wasn't excepting Ruby for another ten minutes at least.  Tossing Mr. Pooky somewhat hazardaly on the bed next to the set of carefully arranged pillows she races down the stairs.

            "Ruby that sure was-."  She starts to say as she opens the door but stops when she sees Twitty standing there.  

            "I have been called many things before but Ruby is a new one."  Twitty responds with a smile to admits to ease Ren's embarrassment.  

            "Sorry Twitty, what do you need?"

            "I thought since you don't have work today and neither do I we could start on our project."

            "All right that sounds like a good pla-.  Wait a minute how do you know I don't work today?"  Ren asks her head spinning on possible scenarios and reasons.

            "I ran into Nelson right after school so I asked him."  Good old Nelson she thinks sarcastically to herself.

            "Come on in."  She tells him while stepping aside.


	4. 4

A/N To tell you the truth I have no idea where I'm going with this.

Ruby dashed around the entire house in search of her left sandal with the cute purple beads, it was nowhere to be found.  She thought of wearing a different pair of foot gear, but the more she searched the more determined and obsessed came to wanting to find the thing.  Glancing at the china clock setting on the mantel, the seconds and minutes quickly passing by, knowing she was taking too long.  Ren needed her.  Finally deciding to give up the search Ruby heads back to her bedroom to revieve 'last weeks' shoes from the closet.

            The silence was becoming louder than a Fourth of July firework celebration; neither Ren nor Twitty knew what to say to one another.  The two were never friends but were able to get along fairly well.  Now it was like they had never met before and were thrown into a room together with no introductions given.  Ren's shyness took her off guard it wasn't the way she was.  Words came so easily to her, or they used to.  A lot of things she once found simple now had the opposite effect on her.  It scared her more than anything out there.

            Unzipping his back bag, the noise seems to echo throughout the entire room.  Twitty almost found himself apologizing for the sound.  Realizing that up make the top ten lists of the stupidest things he's ever did he shrugs the idea off.  Setting the textbook on the coffee table in front of the two of them.  He leans back and sighs.

            "What's wrong with you?"  Ren asked with a more forcefully tone than she planned.

            "Nothing."  He answers a bit too quickly.

            "Oh sure."  Her eyes quickly circle around in their sockets.

            "Well what's wrong with you?"  Twitty fires back.

            "Nothing."  They both look at each other as if sizing one another for weakness not finding any, at least not in the open.

            "Let's just get to work, ok?"  She more demands then requests.

            "Fine by me."  He answers while flipping the book open.

            Louis stood by the window staring down at the street and the driveway below.  The driveway where he once made towers and piles with twigs and rocks.  Where he with Twany and Twitty just sat, talked, and hung out.  The place his brother would play a few rounds of basketball with him. Always spotting him 15 points but would loose anyways.  That driveway was once the setting of many important milestones in his life.  The more recent ones, the ones he'd must likely always condor up in this mind stopped him from spending any time there now.

            He tried to stop, closed his eyes to block the imagery out, but it still was coming.  Louis clasped his hands together preparing himself for the horrific flashback.

            "Hey Lou?"

            "What is it?"

            "Didn't dad ask you to mow the lawn?  The whole thing?"  Louis looked up from his sunglasses and lemon-aid with sippy straw and all at his older brother.

            "It's all under control my friend it's all under control." 

            "Well just do it now and get it over with!" Louis set the glass down again to glare at Donnie, trying to figure what in the hell his problem was.

            "What's your problem!?"  He finally decided to ask instead if pondering it.

            "You!  This playing around being immature was fine when you were 12, but the party is over."

            "Leave me the hell alone Donnie!"

            "Stop it!  Just make it stop!"  Louis screamed out loud finally able to break the scene from his head.  He hated the fact that the last conversation he had with this brother was a screaming match, where both said some regrettable things.  But at least Donnie didn't say I hate you.  Those three words would forever be sketched on Louis mind creating a hell without fire for him.  Stepping back, trying to step away from the memory.  Louis lets out a cry similar to the cowboy legend heroes he used to faithfully on the AMC channels, and flings himself towards the window. 

            "What in the hell was that!?"  Ren demands of Twitty after hearing the sound of glass shattering.

            "I don't know, I'll go check it out."  Twitty places his pen down on the notebook where he had only managed to draw stick figures and heads up the stairs.


End file.
